B-side "You & I Part 1" Format 7", 12" Genre Soft rock | Released 23 March 1987 Recorded 1985–87 Length 3:42 | |
"Big Love" is a song by Fleetwood Mac, that appeared on their 1987 album Tango in the Night. The song was the first single to be released from the album, reaching number 5 in the US, and number nine in the UK. The single was also a hit on the American dance charts, where the song peaked at number 7.
Contents
A 12-inch version featured an extended dance mix, with added vocals by Stevie Nicks. While the 12-inch version included "You & I, Part II" from the Tango in the Night album, the 7-inch version included a non-album track, "You & I, Part I". A limited edition 12-inch picture disc was released in the UK, as well as a double 7-inch pack, which contained the "Big Love" single, and an exclusive 7-inch featuring "The Chain" as an A-side.
Background
"Big Love" was written by Lindsey Buckingham, and was originally going to be part of his third solo album which he began working on in 1985, but the project became a Fleetwood Mac album instead. The song epitomised the stylised production techniques used on the album, with its provocative "oh - ahh" male/female vocal exchange. Though many assumed the female "ahh" to be Stevie Nicks, it was actually Lindsey Buckingham performing both, created by way of his voice being sampled and altered in the studio to mimic that of a woman. The sample was aired several times on Late Night with David Letterman, where Letterman told viewers they were hearing the sounds of CPR.
Solo version
Since Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac in 1987 (shortly after Tango in the Night was released), the band never performed "Big Love" live until his return in 1997. It was in 1993, on his first solo tour, that Buckingham performed a guitar-only version of the song. In 1997, he performed it in the same style on Fleetwood Mac's live album and video The Dance. It also appeared on the second volume of Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown film soundtrack. Buckingham continues to perform the song on Fleetwood Mac and solo tours.
Music video
The stylish and innovative promo video for "Big Love" was reported (by Mick Fleetwood) to have cost half a million dollars—a considerable amount for a three-and-a-half minute clip, even by today's standards. The video was filmed in part at Kimberly Crest, a Victorian mansion in Redlands, California which is often used for weddings and social events.
Track listings
12" single (Warner Brothers Records 0-20683)
- "Big Love" (Extended Remix) – 6:42
- "Big Love" (House on the Hill Dub) – 3:03
- "Big Love" (Piano Dub) – 6:36
- "You and I, Part I" – 3:04
Personnel
Cover versions
A cover version of "Big Love" appeared on Canadian electronic artist CFCF's debut album Continent.
Danny Cavanagh performed a cover version of "Big Love" on In Parallel, an acoustic live album recorded together with Anneke van Giersbergen.
Flesh for Lulu performed a cover of "Big Love" and placed it on their "Cold Flame"/"Big Love" record.